Planet
Recognised as one of the pillars of fashion, the planet is a major factor in sustainable fashion, fashion production and fashion motives. Especially more recently in the last decade, the planet has become a focus within the fashion world as a result of climate change and increasing pollution of the sea, air and land. According to the majority of sources fashion produces 10% of annual global carbon emissions, which is significant compared to industries more associated with carbon emissions such as the car industry.
Although carbon emissions continue at an all time high, it’s notable that many fashion brands and companies are quickly committing to using sustainable methods of producing and selling and even contribute to the circular economy. A known example would be the outdoor brand Patagonia, a brand known for its high quality yet sustainable outdoor wear which is designed to last. the website Goodhousekeeping.com stated – This outdoor brand is widely recognized as one of the best in ethical clothing. They have various initiatives such as being fair trade certified, blue sign approved, a buy and resale program and even offer clothing repairs. Many other brands use methods akin to Patagonia, which in turn opens a market of sustainable clothing where they attract people who are more conscious about how their clothes are manufactured. The buy and resale program is also not exclusive to Patagonia, it has been around in companies such as eBay for years, but more recently Depop and Vinted have become major resale apps with affordable clothing contributing massively to the circular economy.
However the industry is still among the worst in terms of sustainability even with all the efforts to reduce its carbon emissions and waste. One of the most detrimental offsets of fashion production is the water pollution. This is the runoff dye and chemical waste used to colour clothes and manufacture low quality garments. According to MDPI, the fashion industry is responsible for the consumption of 79 trillion litres of water annually, contributing to about 20% of industrial wastewater (York university – Toronto, Canada). For an often overlooked effect of the industry, it’s an astonishingly high number and still needs recognition for change to take place on a larger scale even though there are smaller brands in the cotton industry that actively use dyes that don’t runoff called Low Impact Fibre Reactive Dyes.
Concluding this blog, i believe and have researched that also the efforts made by companies and fashion brands to reduce pollution and increase sustainability, such as contributing to the circular economy and reducing the amount of toxic waste, there is a lot needed to be done to reach the goal of an entirely sustainable industry, as even with the efforts the fashion industry carbon emissions are predicted to be 50% more by the year 2030. to reach ultimate sustainability ive gathered we must minimise waste, sustain our clothes, and produce to last.
Reference list
on carbon emissions:
on sustainable fashion brands:
https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/clothing/g27154605/sustainable-fashion-clothing/
on runoff and water waste